A great deal has changed in the two weeks since the first raft of #Covid-19 supports were introduced by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. I travelled to Dublin last week to attend a briefing on these measures along with spokespeople from other parties. What’s clear is that these payments have been designed…
March 19, 2020. Recently elected TD for Waterford, Marc Ó Cathasaigh made his maiden speech before a much reduced Dáil during last Thursday’s debate on emergency legislation to tackle the Covid-19 health crisis. Only one third of elected TDs were allowed to enter the chamber in order to minimise the chance of transmission during the…
Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh TD has called for Government support for Local Media as they find themselves in a perilous financial situation due to a dramatic decline in their advertising revenue within a very short space of time. He said that “Local Newspapers and Radio Stations are facing into an uncertain future in the light…
March 23, 2020. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh TD attended the launch of the Cystic Fibrosis Ireland Fundraising Appeal – 65 Roses Day – which takes place on Friday April 10th. The appeal, which takes it’s name from how children often first say the words ‘Cystic Fibrosis’, sees volunteers selling purple roses to raise funds for…
The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection have a range of new measures in place to help workers and businesses affected by #CoronaVirus #Covid-19. Firstly, they’ve simplified the form you need to fill in. However, don’t go to your local Intreo Office (or the Dole Office, in old money) – they’re asking people to…
Just a quick update after a very productive and very intensive week. As has been widely reported in the media, the Green Party last week convened a series of in-depth exploratory talks with a number of other parties. To date, we have met with representatives from Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil, and will meet in…
More monitoring needed to access the scale of the problem A motion calling for the EPA to address the Waterford Metropolitan District ‘as a matter of urgency to discuss air-quality monitoring throughout the metropolitan region’ received unanimous support in the chamber last Monday. The motion, put down by Green Party councillor Marc Ó Cathasaigh, came…
Precarious Funding Situation puts the Centre’s Ongoing Work at Risk Concerns have emerged about the future of the National Biodiversity Data Centre due to lack of clarity around the renewal of staff contracts for 2020. The agency, which is based out of WIT’s Carriganore Campus, is a national centre for the collection and analysis of…
Waterford City and County Council has undertaken to join an international Climate Action movement of local authorities, the Covenant of Mayors, following the unanimous passing of a motion at Plenary Council this Thursday. The Covenant of Mayors is an initiative launched in 2008 in Europe with the ambition of gathering local governments voluntarily committed to…